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Articles | Featured | Future

MIXCLOUD

Minimalist Jazz & An Interview With Caroline Davis

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Jazz and minimalism? An interesting combination that produces fascinating and hypnotic results which we will delve into in this episode of Mondo Jazz. We also interview saxophonist Caroline Davis about her latest album, Heart Tonic, as well as a loungy tribute to Cecil Taylor, and a preview of live performances by Patrick Zimmerli and Derek Gripper. And, of course, more new releases! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Dan Siegel: Origins

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Keyboard ace Dan Siegel's music has “contemporary chic" written all over it. Having worked a smooth seam for decades and crafted a fair amount of music for television and film, he knows a thing or two about putting together a tight arrangement, pulling from different stylistic sources, contracting the right players for a job, and producing a record with nary a rough edge to be seen. All of that knowledge and all of those skills were put to good use ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Kira Kira: Bright Force

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Pianist Satoko Fujii was playing for the Sydney Improvised Music Association in 2007 when she first crossed paths with composer/keyboardist/effects artist Alister Spence. Kindred spirits in terms of boundless musical interests, their initial collaboration took place in 2008 after their respective groups shared the stage at the Tokyo Jazz Festival. Later that year, the two recorded as part of The Raymond MacDonald International Big Band on Buddy (Textile Records, 2010). That group included Fujii's trumpeter husband Natsuki Tamura and accounts ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

John Proulx: Say It

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Vocalist/pianist John Proulx has previously released three exceptional recordings on the MAXJAZZ Label (now owned by Mack Avenue Records): Moon and Sand (2006); The Best Thing For You (2006); and Baker's Dozen: Remembering Chet Baker (2016). With the death of MAXJAZZ founder Richard McDonnell, Proulx elected to self-release his recording Say It. The recording is produced by vocalist/producer Judy Wexler, whose own recordings, What I see (Jazzed Media, 2013), Under a Painted Sky (Jazzed Media, 2011), and Dreams and Shadows ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Lucas Niggli: Alchemia Garden

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Powerhouse Swiss drummer Lucas Niggli augments this solo effort with ethnocentric percussion instruments, that largely emphasizes his well-rounded musical approach. He draws inspiration from his gardening hobby, classical composers and fellow countryman, drumming great Pierre Favre. As a leader and collaborator, Niggli's longstanding affiliation and extensive discography with this pioneering Swiss label features a cavalcade of genre-busting endeavors. The artist has recorded with the likes of New York experimental guitarist Elliot Sharp and Chinese zither performer Xu Fengia along with ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Jay Leonhart: Don't You Wish

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After experimenting with other instruments, a phase described in the title track, “Don't You Wish," Jay Leonhart locked onto the bass at the age of 13. Later, inspired and mentored by the legendary Ray Brown, he began his stellar career which included playing with icons Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Buddy Rich, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, and Tony Bennett. Leonhart has also anchored well-known trios and led his own, honing his solid reputation as an exceptionally gifted and versatile musician.

PROFILES

A Vintage Year For Jessica Felix And The Healdsburg Jazz Festival

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It's a 20th anniversary vintage year for the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, pouring over the first ten days of this coming June, in the Sonoma County “wine country" 70 miles north of jny:San Francisco. That there is a festival at all is due to the tenacity of its artistic director Jessica Felix, who planted jazz in Healdsburg twenty years ago and has kept working to sustain it. That Jessica Felix is at the center of the festival at all is due ...

LIVE REVIEWS

Tallinn Music Week 2018

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83 venues in Tallinn Tallin Music Week Tallinn, Estonia April 5-7, 2018 Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is an international multidisciplinary cross-genre festival. The festival is in its tenth year, founded and led by Helen Sildna. With more than 260 acts from 30 countries spread across 83 venues in the Estonian capital, 1330 international delegates, 150 international journalists and more than 34,000 concert visitors it has grown into a major international event. First ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Linley Hamilton: Making Other Arrangements

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Making Other Arrangements has been a long time coming--over 25 years, since trumpeter and broadcaster Linley Hamilton first heard Freddie Hubbard's Ride Like The Wind and decided that one day he, too, would make an album with a large ensemble. It's been worth the wait. Hamilton's third album as leader is lush, romantic and beautifully performed. Based in Belfast, Hamilton is an important figure on the jazz scene of the island of Ireland, as a musician, lecturer and BBC radio ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Carl Michel: Music in Motian

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Late drummer, texturalist, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian holds a revered space in the post-bop of the last half century. From early stints with Lennie Tristano and Coleman Hawkins to his seared-into-legend work with Bill Evans on Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside Records, 1961), and Waltz for Debby (Riverside Records, 1962)); through his fiery live and studio performances with Keith Jarrett's American Quartet on The Survivor's Suite (ECM Records, 1967). His compositions held a folk-like quality, and have been ...